Many insulation products, such as fiberglass insulation mats, are produced and sold in roll form. Prior to packaging, these products are typically wound on a winding machine, such as a Dyken winder, named after the inventor of a rug rolling winder described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,215,174 to Dyken, issued Sep. 17, 1940. The rolled insulation product is held in roll form with a paper tape applied to the circumference of the roll. The wound product is then packaged in a plastic bag, typically comprising a polyolefin, such as polyethylene, to protect it from damage and keep the insulation clean and dry.
Current packaging, such as the aforementioned polyethylene bag, protect the insulation well but can trap moisture in the insulation or in the tape applied to the insulation, which utilizes a water-based adhesive. There are two problems associated with this trapped moisture. First, many insulation products are characterized by an odor that has been shown to greatly increase in the presence of moisture. Second, as noted, the tape used to hold the product in roll form is typically water activated. When the tape is applied to a FSK (foil-scrim-Kraft) facing layer, which is on a major surface of the product, the tape can form a strong adhesive bond to the FSK layer and is not easily removable, particularly, as it has been observed, if the water is allowed to dry slowly. Removal of the tape can cause tearing in the FSK layer, thereby compromising the integrity of the vapor barrier layer. It is believed that sealing the plastic bags before the water has completely dried prolongs the drying process and is a main cause of the adhesion problem. However, it is neither practical nor preferred to delay packaging of the product to employ a drying process, which necessarily adds costs and time to the manufacturing process.
Therefore, there is presently a need for a new packaging for products that may be adversely affected by trapping water therewith, particularly insulation products bound in roll form with a water-based adhesive tape.